Kanuka Essential Oil
- Type
- Essential oil
- Botanical name
- Kunzea ericoides
- Other names
- white tea tree oil
The plant
Kānuka, Kunzea ericoides, was formerly placed in the genus Leptospermum as Leptospermum ericoides. It is also known as white or tree manuka, because it is larger than mānuka, with smaller leaves, flowers and fruit and white wood. Kānuka and mānuka both grow abundantly on the North and South Islands of New Zealand.[2]
The New Zealand kānuka plants grouped under Kunzea ericoides were revised in 2014. The most widespread and common species is now Kunzea robusta, first described that year. It is a tree 8 to 30 m tall, native only to New Zealand, on the North and South Islands. It grows in coastal to lowland shrubland, regenerating forest and forest margins.[4]
How the oil is made
The oil is steam-distilled from the leaves and branches.[2][1] In the mid-2000s most commercial kanuka and manuka oil came from wild stands rather than plantations, and the plants grew back quickly after harvesting.[2]
Composition
Alpha-pinene is the main component of kanuka oil; in some analyses it makes up more than 60% of the oil.[2][3] The oil is much richer in monoterpenes than Australian tea tree oil and contains about 5% 1,8-cineole. Other components include viridiflorol, limonene, p-cymene, calamenene and gamma-terpinene.[1]
Kanuka, manuka and tea tree
- Kanuka oil comes from kānuka, Kunzea ericoides, native to New Zealand.[2] In some analyses most of it is alpha-pinene.[3]
- Manuka oil comes from mānuka, Leptospermum scoparium, which grows in New Zealand and Australia. It contains few monoterpenes.[3]
- Tea tree oil comes from Melaleuca alternifolia of southeastern Australia.[5] It is dominated by terpinen-4-ol and 1,8-cineole, which manuka oil almost lacks.[3]
In composition kanuka oil seems closer to Australian tea tree oil than to manuka oil.[1]
Scent and uses
Kanuka oil smells sweet, herbaceous and earthy and is a middle note of medium strength.[1] Kanuka and manuka oils have distinctive scents that blend well with wood oils such as sandalwood or cedarwood; lavender, lemon or lemon myrtle can soften them.[2]
In laboratory tests, kanuka and manuka oils showed variable antibacterial and antifungal activity, much weaker than that of tea tree oil.[2]
Safety
- Oil that has oxidised should not be used. No other special precautions are listed for kanuka oil.[1]
- No formal toxicology studies of kanuka or manuka oil were known in 2005, and some researchers advised caution for that reason.[2]
- In tests on animal tissue, both oils weakened the spontaneous contractions of uterine muscle, which may be a concern in pregnancy and labour.[2]
- Do not take the oil by mouth without expert advice. Without such advice, do not put it on the skin undiluted either. In pregnancy, with epilepsy or other medical conditions, use it only under the guidance of a qualified aromatherapist.[1]
- Take extra care when using it with children.[1]
Products containing it
- Shampoo With Tea Tree Oil (I 777)
- Skin Cream With Tea Tree Oil (I 876)
- Skin Tonic With Tea Tree Oil (I 888)
- Tea Tree, Kanuka And Manuka Oil Blend (E 117)
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 AromaWeb, Kanuka Essential Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 W. Maddocks-Jennings, J. M. Wilkinson, D. Shillington and H. Cavanagh, A fresh look at manuka and kanuka essential oils from New Zealand. The International Journal of Aromatherapy 15 (2005), 141–146.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 C. Mathew et al., Mānuka Oil—A Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties. Pharmaceuticals 2020, 13(11), 343.
- ↑ New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, Kunzea robusta. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
- ↑ Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Elizabeth, NJ, 1960: Melaleuca Alternifolia.